To commemorate 50 years since the introduction of the UK Health & Safety at Work Act, Josh Taylor, health & safety manager at the Event Supplier and Services Association (ESSA), reflects on the positive changes to the events industry since its inception – but also what still needs to happen.
Despite health and safety legislation in the UK dating back to the 17th century, it still feels slightly surreal that we have only had enforceable health and safety regulations across all workplaces since 1974 with the introduction of enforce health and safety across numerous industries today, with the events industry being no exception. As 2024 marks the Act’s 50th anniversary, it’s apparent a lot has changed since then. A lot of that change has been good – really good in fact. Occupational Safety & Health records have dramatically improved over the past 50 years, with fatal workplace injuries falling 88% between 1974 and 2019/20, with similar reductions in non-workplace injuries, too. While the changing nature of the UK workforce over the past 50 years has played a significant role in workplace injuries falling, improvements to health and safety standards cannot be underestimated in helping achieve this.
Investing in safety
The changes put in place ensured employers began investing in safety measures and paved the way for many standard practices we take for granted today, such as risk assessments and even the development of job roles specifically designed to ensure health and safety is enforced and monitored within businesses. Yet different industries pose different health and safety challenges, with the events industry posing far more challenging obstacles to overcome than say, your typical office job.
Event-specific rules and regulations, such as the need for a construction phase plan and an event safety plan, ensure more strict rules to follow, which is understandable due to the greater risk of working on events, particularly during build-up and breakdown.
The language of health and safety
All the above doesn’t mean the Health and Safety Act is without its problems – problems that we still face within the events industry today. We know that the rules and regulations in place since the introduction of the Act are to help ensure the health and safety of staff – yet we still have a way to go in ensuring all parties involved in events are aware of WHY this is. Too often I hear stories from event professionals about their experiences with organisers and the like, with some questioning the need and importance for certain things, be it a risk assessment or the need to wear a high-vis jacket in the halls during construction. The most obvious answer as to why these things are needed is “because of health and safety” – but this often doesn’t get the best response from people, namely because the ‘why’ has not been effectively explained.
The Act outlines employer responsibilities, yet there is little guidance on how to showcase the importance of health and safety to employees and other parties to ensure they are onboard. We need to better educate those on the reasoning behind certain applications of health and safety in events, and the language we choose to use can help us achieve this. Instead of “because of health and safety,” think about the why – “You have to wear a high-vis in the halls because there are vehicles and forklifts moving around, and the drivers will be able to see you better,” for example.
The more information people have and share, the more people know what is happening, meaning shows can be planned better and delivered better – both more efficiently and safely. Having people onboard when it comes to health and safety is another arrow in your quiver when it comes to helping you champion it and demonstrate your commitment. At ESSA, we empower our 300+ members to do exactly that, with additional resources such as our health and safety accreditation to reinforce the message and ensure health and safety becomes a priority for all.
What next for health and safety?
Along with updated guidance into the why and how we discuss health and safety with staff, there are a few other areas we are likely to see updates to as the Health and Safety at Work Act continues to evolve. One area is regarding mental health. While the Act provides great information regarding physical health, the Act doesn’t address the need of how to look after employees’ mental health. With mental health becoming an ever more prevalent topic in the workplace, the Act will need to be updated to provide greater guidance on this.
The other area is regarding workplaces themselves. As technology and the way we work continues to evolve, we can expect to see adaptations to the Act to align with these changes. Regardless of the changes ahead, we can be sure whatever form they take, health and safety will remain the important cornerstone of the events industry that it is.
This article is taken from EW Issue 4, to get the digital magazine bi-monthly to your inbox, subscribe here: https://www.exhibitionworld.co.uk/subscribe
